In this podcast, Professor Houston talks about the psychological impact on those affected by the Aberfan disaster of 1966. The podcast expands on an interview Prof Houston gave to BBC Wales as part of a series of podcasts recently produced about the disaster. It is strongly advised that you listen to podcast 7 of the BBC series prior to listening to this podcast. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p09z3n7y

Further reading:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/electroencephalogram/ 

Iain McLean and Martin Johnes, Aberfan: government and disasters (Cardiff: Welsh Academic Press, 2000), especially chapter 5.
Morgan, L., Scourfield, J., Williams, D., Jasper, A., & Lewis, G. (2003). The Aberfan disaster: 33-year follow-up of survivors. British Journal of Psychiatry, 182(6), 532-536. doi:10.1192/bjp.182.6.532

The 1966 Aberfan disaster

How have therapies for mental ailments changed over time?

Today’s treatments for mental illness revolve around drugs and psychological therapy. For centuries, medical practitioners relied mainly on treating physical symptoms, while recognising that mind and body were connected. Where possible, they offered some kind of counselling.  This next section of podcasts looks at what therapies were available, and highlights continuities and change over five centuries.

Image of the week:  St Fillan’s bell
Courtesy of Wellcome Images. Full Bibliographic Record: Wellcome Library Catalogue M0014430
Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/


4.1 Holistic And Heroic Remedies

Rab Houston was born in Hamilton, Scotland, lived in India and Ghana and was educated at the Edinburgh Academy and St Andrews University before spending six years at Cambridge University as a research student (Peterhouse) and research fellow (Clare College). He has worked at the University of St Andrews since 1983 and is Professor of Modern History, specialising in British social history. He is a fellow of both the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Society of Edinburgh (Scotland’s national academy), and a member of the Academia Europaea. He is married to a senior university manager and lives in Edinburgh. In his spare time he likes any form of active meditation.
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/staff/rabhouston.html
https://arts.st-andrews.ac.uk/psychhist/

4.1 Holistic And Heroic Remedies

History of Psychiatry Podcast Series

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